Rush Hour 2

`Rush Hour 2' is a highly enjoyable follow-up to the original 1998 box office smash. Like the previous film, this first of what will undoubtedly be a long line of lucrative sequels combines sardonic humor with eye-popping martial arts action sequences to entertaining effect. Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan repeat their roles as unlikely cop buddies, starting off the film in Chan's home territory, Hong Kong, and finishing up in Tucker's, the good ole US of A.

Chan, with his sheepish deadpan delivery, makes a perfect straight man for Tucker's fast-talking bad brotha wiseacre, whose mouth engages in more heavy-duty action than Chan's karate-chopping hands and feet. Much of the humor is generated by Tucker's ability to seem totally unflustered by any peril that happens to come his way, managing to sass talk his way out of one dangerous predicament after another. Moreover, Chan's ability to create humor out of perfectly choreographed stunt sequences puts him right up there with some of the silent comedy greats like Chaplin and Keaton. The split-second perfection of these scenes, combined with the balletic grace with which they are executed, makes him one of the truly unique talents working in movies today. Luckily, in his move to mainstream American filmmaking, Chan has been able to find behind-the-scenes talent good enough to match his own. The screenplay by Jeff Nathanson, though no world-beater when it comes to originality or depth, does posses a playful spirit that works well in the context of the genre. Likewise, director Brett Ratner keeps the action percolating along at a lively, often dizzying clip.

As with most Chan films, however, `Rush Hour 2' seems to go on for about a half hour too long – even though its running time barely clocks in at a very short 90 minutes. Perhaps this type of material really can't be sustained much beyond an hour before the repetitiousness of it begins to take its toll. However, that is certainly a minor quibble about a film that, for the most part, provides plenty of laughs, some kick-ass performances and action sequences that, as per usual for a Chan film, will, quite literally, make your jaw drop. .

James Carter comes to Hong Kong for a holiday with Inspector Lee. However at the same time a bomber is striking key American targets. Carter and Lee get drawn into an investigation into a counterfeiting ring run by Ricky Tan and his new partner Hu Li. Before long their up to their necks in trouble again.

The story doesn't matter because basically it's this - Carter talks funny to somebody while Lee is distracted, it then all kicks off and Lee does lots of fancy moves, it then moves to a different location and the pattern repeats again. Essentially that's it - but it doesn't matter, it worked the first time and it works again here. The story is better than the first film's, although the twists don't work as well as they think they do.

The main improvement since the first movie is that there's more fighting action. In RH Jackie Chan's fighting was toned down to make room for Tucker's comedy. In RH2 Chan is allowed to have much more action and the addition of Zhang Ziyi ups the ante all the more. Tucker still gets to do his big-mouthed comedy and have plenty of banter between him and Chan, be sexual with girls and fight. It's not breaking new ground but it's quite fun.

Chan and Tucker are very good, mainly because they're having fun and comfortable with each other. Lone adds class and menace as Ricky Tan and Sanchez adds spice as the beautiful Isabella. The best addition is Zhang Ziyi - she doesn't have any character but she can certainly move! The cast also has very funny cameos from Don Cheadle and Jeremy Piven - adding laughs and class.

The only problem with the film is that it is so very formulaic and is just a simple crowd pleaser. Some of the banter is a few steps off racism (`I'll kick you back to Africa') and much of Tucker's ogling is borderline sexism. However it's all so very polished that you don't notice.

Overall it's a very entertaining blockbuster. The only problem is this - the funniest bits are the outtakes, shouldn't it have been in the film?!

I saw the first Rush Hour and didn't know what to expect when i watched it at a friend's house. I watched it and thought it was one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. I was glad that it was something fresh and new as the Lethal Weapon movies (Which I also thought were excellent!!!!!!!) had finished and i thought that it was even better than them. Then when i heard that they were making Rush Hour 2 I couldn't wait until it came out, however i was worried that it might not be as good as the first as very few sequels are these days, but i was not disappointed in the slightest. I laughed all the way through this movie and even more than the first one. Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker are perfect for the roles and both are excellent throughout the movie which has even more humor than Rush Hour 1. Rush Hour 1 is still excellent but i think Rush Hour 2 has to be funnier having watched them both hundreds of times. I cannot wait until Rush hour 3 comes out!

I highly recommend this movie and Rush Hour 1 to all action/comedy fans out there!

Rush Hour 2 is just like the first Rush Hour. You still get all the action and comedy as the first one. Except that their is a new mission for Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. Overall, this movie is pretty decent. I would suggest this movie.

Rush Hour 2 is one of those rare sequels that turn out to be either just as just as much if not equally more hilarious than the first. This summer, I had several opportunities to see this film and of course took those chances because I just couldn't stop laughing at this film, no matter how I knew what would happen in the next scene. It has great humor and great chemistry that we haven't seen between two actors since Mel Gibson and Danny Glover.

Carter and Lee are back and starting off where the first Rush Hour left off and that's in China. Carter is expecting a dream vacation full of "mushoo's" a.k.a girls! Lee is standing in the way of that though taking on his old cases, including finding out about a counterfeit scam, and finding out who killed his father. He fools Carter several times, but together eventually team back to discover that you just "follow the rich white man" back to America and end up working undercover with the sexy Isabella Molina. But things get deeper as Lee finds out that the counterfeit scam and his father's killer might to be connected.

Rush Hour 2 is one of the funniest movies I have seen, not to mention one of the best movies of the year! I was extremely happy to see this movie and I cannot wait until the DVD! Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan are just amazing and I cannot wait until the third Rush Hour release, I just know it'll be a great one!

9/10